Dr. Yupo Chan, a professor in the Department of Systems Engineering at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has received $24,900 from NASA to measure the earth’s atmosphere to monitor its health and future climate.

The research team will map and monitor water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, hydroxyl radicals, oxygen, ozone, and oxides in the earth’s atmosphere using a solar and atmospheric measuring satellite called SAMSAT, a low-cost, miniature satellite used for space research.

The goal of the project is to establish a set of baseline data in the state of Arkansas that will show the present state of the earth’s atmosphere and predict future trends. The information is of great value to Arkansas and beyond. The data collected by the research team will be compared to more conventional forms of satellite data collection such as the NASA/NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. The validation of this new and inexpensive data-collection method will show the accuracy and uniqueness of SAMSAT.